Maelstrom
by pain17ification
Summary: When a hero is reincarnated, he is given the chance to help guide and protect the next generation. Reborn as the eldest Kurosaki child, what changes will this heroic Maelstrom make as his storm rages against that of the enemy? Shinigami Naruto! Naruto/Orihime/Karasuba/? and Ichigo/Rukia!
1. Chapter 1: Homecoming

**Salutations to you, my readers!**

 **So, as promised, here is my Christmas gift to everyone: a** _ **Naruto**_ **and** _ **Bleach**_ **crossover!**

 **Please bear in mind that it's been a while since I touched on the subject of** _ **Bleach**_ **; especially since I stopped reading/watching it** _ **entirely**_ **once Ichigo got his powers as a Shinigami back. The story after that did not catch my interest whatsoever.**

 **So, there will be NOTHING in this story that has to do with the final arc. That means no Quincy blood in Ichigo, or "true form" for Zangetsu, or anything else concerning it.**

 **I want to get that out of the way right now so that you readers, who I devote so much of my time to in making these stories, don't start asking questions about it.**

 ***bows* Thank you all very much.**

 **Disclaimer:** _ **pain17ification**_ **owns nothing**

* * *

 _Maelstrom_

 _Chapter 1: Homecoming_

* * *

 _'Man, this place has barely changed,'_ mused a young man of 20, his brown eyes staring outside the window of the bus he was riding. He had a nostalgic smile on his face as he looked around his hometown that he had been away from for the better part of two years. _'Wonder how the family's doing?'_

He chuckled to himself as he imagined the antics that his younger brother and his father would no doubt be taking part in with one another. He loved the man for raising him and helping him grow into the man he was today, but his father was a bit much at times with his hyperactivity. And his brother was a bit physical in his responses, usual resorting to fights over words.

As for his baby sisters, they were quite a pair too. The eldest younger sister, from what he could remember, was pretty independent for a girl her age. She was also incredibly blunt; which he found both amusing and refreshing. As for his youngest sister, she was a sweetheart; no questions asked. Ever since the family lost their mother, she had taken on the role of housekeeper, cook, and overall caregiver.

And then there was him; the eldest child of the Kurosaki family. He had to be the one who looked after his siblings, making sure that they stayed strong after their mother's death. With his time spent in college, he hoped to be able to better support his family since his father mainly ran an emergency clinic. While it was a great service to the community – and they hoped that they didn't get so many patients – it only provided so much.

Sighing, the young man brushed a hand through his spiky red locks. He was still amused at how outlandish his natural hair color was; as well as his brother's. He vaguely recalled the both of them being bullied by people who thought they were dying their hair; or in his brother's case, bleaching it. The odd thing was that, while his mother did have orange hair and his father had black, no one in the family knew where he had gotten his red hair.

But he knew; he had _known_ for a while now.

The bus reaching his stop cut him from his musings, and he grabbed his duffle bag and laptop case before exiting the bus; making sure to thank the driver for getting him to his destination. He knew that the simple things – like small acts of gratitude – went a long way for people; so he made sure to do them as often as he could.

Once the bus left, he smiled at the sight before him; Karakura High School, where he had graduated some years ago. Looking at his watch, he figured that his brother would still be in class, so he went down the beaten path he fondly remembered walking as he made his way to the Kurosaki Clinic. As he walked, he resumed looking around his hometown, his smile never fading in the slightest.

 _'Wonder how sensei and Neko-nee are doing,'_ he absently thought, turning his gaze to the direction of a familiar shop he frequented as a teenager. His gaze moved to another familiar location and he chuckled. _'I'll bet they're all lazing about as usual.'_

It took him around an hour to reach his family's clinic, due to him taking his time getting there. When he gazed at the place, his smile grew warmer and his stance became straighter.

Home…

He was finally back home, coming back to his family now that he was an educated man. He found himself incredibly content about that fact as he approached the door. With a rhythmic knock, he patiently waited for a response and was rewarded with a familiar voice calling out, "Karin, can you get the door, please?"

He took a step back from the door, his bags still in hand as he heard the knob unlock and turn before the door itself swung open. A familiar black-haired girl looked out with a rather bored look as she greeted, "Yeah?"

Standing in front of her was a redheaded man with short, yet wildly spiked hair. He had brown eyes that looked at her warmly while he was dressed in an open black coat, a white shirt that had the top two buttons loose, dark brown pants, and black shoes. Around his neck was an orange scarf that was draped over his shoulders with the tail ends resting against his back. The oddest thing about him – which also made her eyes widen in recognition – was that he held whisker-styled birth markings on his cheeks; three on each cheek.

"Hey there, big-lil sis," he greeted fondly.

Slowly a smile graced her face before she poked her head back inside and called out, "Yuzu, come quick!"

"What's wrong?!" came an incredibly worried response.

"Just come outside!" Karin answered before she rushed out the door and collided with her eldest brother with a powerful hug. "You're back!"

"Of course I am!" he responded with a laugh just as he saw a familiar head of light brown hair poke out of the building. His smile never weakened when he saw that, like Karin, her eyes widened in surprise and even watered slightly. "Yuzu-chan…" he greeted.

"Naru-nii," she whispered back, tears falling as she smiled brightly and rushed into his arms like Karin had done. "I missed you…" she said, her voice muffled against his shirt; which he felt was getting wet from her tears.

His smile softened as he held her close, rubbing her head affectionately. "I know… I missed you girls too."

Pulling away to stand next to Karin, Yuzu wiped her eyes and smiled brightly. "Welcome back, Naru-nii."

Naruto Kurosaki smiled back as he followed them inside. "Great to be back," he responded, stepping back into his home for the first time in two years.

* * *

An awkward chuckle escaped him as he saw his father and brother once again going at it. "It's like I never left home," he commented, smiling at Yuzu when she gave him his helping of dinner. "So, what has everyone been up to while I was away?"

Karin shrugged. "Nothing much. Yuzu and I are doing alright in school, Ichi-nii is still being bothered because of his hair, and dad is…dad."

The two of them shared a laugh at that while Yuzu stifled her own giggle. "Ichi-nii is still seeing ghosts too," Yuzu added.

Naruto paused in taking another bite, slowly setting down his chopsticks. "…He is?"

Both of his sisters nodded. "I can still feel them when they're near; but I can't see them yet," Karin noted. "What about you, Naru-nii?"

He shrugged and gave a disarming smile. "I wouldn't know. I haven't had any spiritual encounters since I left for college."

"I wish I could see them," Yuzu sighed out, feeling left out. "Only dad and I can't see them."

"Don't worry so much about it, Yuzu-chan," Naruto assured, reaching over and rubbing the top of her head. "It's not as glamorous as you think. Most of the time, the ghosts are just people having trouble accepting what happened. I can't think of a time I talked to a ghost that wasn't either depressed or angry about what was happening."

"That sounds so sad…" she mused with a sympathetic look.

"It is. Which is why it's probably best that you don't see them. You don't need the unnecessary guilt at being alive weighing you down. There are a few ghosts who throw that in your face, trying to make you feel like _you're_ the reason they died."

"Geez," commented Karin. "Talk about messed up."

He shrugged and gave them both a small smile. "Don't ever be ashamed that you're alive, girls. Even if someone says you shouldn't be, it's not _their_ life to lead; it's _yours_."

They both nodded with thoughtful looks on their faces. Dinner was quiet after that talk, save for Isshin and Ichigo still having their pre-dinner brawl.

* * *

"There we go," Naruto said to no one, having finished putting away his belongings and sitting on his bed. "I really gotta remember to thank Yuzu for keeping my room clean while I was gone."

His room was simple in terms of decorations. He had his bed, a desk, and a small television set on top of a stand. His closet held all of his clothes and even a small dresser, giving the actual room more space to move around in. On one of the walls was a small shelf that he had screwed in for the sole purpose of holding his pictures.

In the first picture, there was his family before his mother's death. His father and mother were standing at the back while he stood in the center in front of them. Ichigo stood to his left while Karin was on his right. Yuzu was clinging to his back with her arms around his neck. All of them looked so happy; so peaceful.

The next picture had three kids in it. The first was him, the second was Ichigo, and the last was a girl around Ichigo's age with short orange hair cut in a hime style. Her wide, gray eyes were incredibly expressive and she held an innocent smile on her face. The Kurosaki brothers were also smiling with Naruto standing behind the two of them and his hands on their heads.

"I wonder how Hime-chan is doing since I left," he mused as he looked at the younger visage of Orihime Inoue. She was a childhood friend of his and Ichigo's, and Naruto had been a major source of support for the girl when her older brother, Sora, had died. It took a while, but slowly the girl had returned to her bright self.

The third picture had him as a teenager standing in front of a small shop. Next to him was a man dressed in green with a black haori and wooden geta sandals. On his head, and slightly shadowing his eyes, was a white and green striped bucket hat. On Naruto's shoulder was a black cat that had amused looking yellow eyes. The hat wearing man had a hand fan hiding the lower half of his face while Naruto's face looked to be in the midst of laughter, as if a joke had been made while the picture was taken.

"I'll bet sensei hasn't changed a bit," he thought aloud, shaking his head in amusement. "Him and Neko-nee…"

The final picture had Naruto sitting around with a diverse group of people; eight of them, to be exact. They were having mixed expressions of laughter, smiles, and even annoyance (though that was diluted by the smile mixed in). The lot of them all looked to be content, just going through another day of their lives without anything to bring them down.

"I should go see how they're doing this week," he planned, making a mental note to have a day set to go visit them all. Moving to his desk, he saw that everything had been left where he had left it; making him once again feel grateful for Yuzu taking care of his belongings. He picked up some of the papers, looking them over and smiling in recognition. "I never finished these…" he mused, looking at the incomplete works in his hands. "I should set some time aside for this."

Putting them back down, he moved back to his bed and lied down, staring at the ceiling with a smile. Closing his eyes to rest for the night, he felt a sense of peace fill him to the core at being back home.

* * *

Brown eyes opened to a blue sky that had some drifting clouds scattered about it. He also felt that he was lying on something besides his bed and sat up, taking note of the smoothed stone he was now residing on. Getting to his feet, Naruto stepped to the edge of the plateau he was on, looking down to a large settlement that he instinctively knew to label as a village.

"Here again, huh?" he asked as he closed his eyes, smiling at the calm breeze blowing through his hair and hitting his face. It picked up for a brief instant and his smile grew fonder as he turned around. "I kept you waiting, didn't I?"

Smirking back at him was a woman that stood at a fair height of 5'8" (174cm); a little less than a head shorter than his 5'11" (180cm). She wore a tight black leather top, a black miniskirt with matching stockings, a brown belt going around her waist, and a gray haori with a black crow insignia on it. She had long, light gray hair tied in a ponytail that reached down to her lower back and gray narrow eyes.

She moved closer to him and ran her finger down his chest to his abdomen. "Yes…you did," she answered, never moving her gaze away from his own. "Y'know, part of me wishes that you had you older self's eyes."

He rolled his brown orbs in amusement. "So you keep reminding me. Blame genetics for that one, Kara-chan."

"And yet you have red hair in this life instead of your old hair color; like your _old_ mother," she retorted.

Shrugging, he replied, "Again; genetics. My mother in _this_ life had orange hair; which is blonde and red in a balance. At least I didn't get black hair like the old goat."

"True," the silverette agreed, making a face at the idea. "You would've looked way too strange with that color." She reached a hand up and cupped one of his whiskered cheeks, her smirk returning, though it was softer. "At least you kept this little feature, Uzumaki-kun."

"I don't have that name in this life," he reminded, his tone showing slight exhaustion at the repetition. "That was the old me; my previous self. This me is Kurosaki; you know that."

"You'll always be an _Uzumaki_ to me, Naruto," she stated with a shrug as she moved around him and stared down at the village that was the home of his previous life. "To think that I was meant to be the partner of the reincarnated savior of a war-torn past," she mused, looking both amused and eager. "At least you're not so goody-goody like your _old_ self." She turned her head slightly, grinning devilishly at him as he dropped his smile for a straight face. "I always enjoyed seeing your _dark side_ , after all."

"You would," he fired back in jest as he moved to stand beside her. "So, why did you bring me here, Kara-chan?"

"What? A girl can't just call a boy over to catch up?" she asked back, raising a brow. "Maybe I grew bored of being in here by myself?"

"You know you can always talk to-"

"I refuse to speak to that living throw rug, and you know it," she cut off, her gaze sharpening. "I enjoy my time with you; however brief you make your visits. I know that you don't exactly _approve_ of my methods, but that doesn't mean you can just shut me out of your life."

She held a hand up to her chest, where a black feather – one that gave off an ethereal glow – floated out of her. From Naruto's chest, an equally black feather floated outwards. Both of them flew slowly towards one another, swirling and dancing in the breeze before returning to their owners.

"We're connected, after all…" she finished, her voice growing soft.

He sighed at her words, knowing that they were true.

"You're right. I'm sorry for being so…distant with you, Kara-chan. I'm just trying to live a life with some sense of normalcy."

"Your life stopped being normal the moment you heard my call, Naruto. Your brother will soon hear a call too; and eventually your sisters. It's in your blood."

Sighing again, he lowered himself so that he was seated on the mountain overlooking the village. "I know… But I can't help myself for wanting a normal life. My past life wasn't normal, and I was sorta hoping this one would be."

She chuckled as she sat beside him, resting her sheathed sword across her lap. "Normal is overrated, Naruto. _Abnormal_ is what it's all about in terms of _living_."

He chuckled alongside her, not reacting at all when he felt her move closer and rest her head on his shoulder. "I really am sorry for neglecting you… I hope you know that."

"I do," she answered without hesitation. "You're my partner and I know you enough to understand how you feel about things. Just don't forget that you're…important to me."

He looked downwards slightly, seeing that she was looking away from him with her cheeks dusted pink. He smiled at her tsundere nature and wrapped an arm around her, catching her off guard for a split second before she gave a faint smile of content.

"I know. You're important to me too…"

The two of them looked out to the setting sun that was changing the bluey skies to orange hues, a sense of tranquility resting over them.

"…Karasuba."

* * *

The next day, in the later hours of the morning, Naruto walked through the streets and alleyways of Karakura Town with a set destination in mind. He just hoped that the place was open so that he wouldn't be forced to wait for their business hours to begin.

Walking down a longer stretch of alleyway, he saw a familiar shop getting closer and smiled. The two young preteens in front of the place were new to him, but he figured that they were just two more _lost souls_ that his sensei had picked up.

Raising an arm in greeting, he caught their attention by calling out, "Good morning!"

The girl jumped a bit in surprise while the boy turned to him with annoyance on his face. "Yeah, what do you want?" he asked rudely.

"J-Jinta," began the girl with a slight stutter, "Tessai told us not to be rude to potential customers."

The boy, Jinta, scoffed at that. "Whatever… You need something, Whiskers?"

 _'Wow,'_ thought Naruto with sarcastic deadpan. _'That's original.'_ Outwardly, he never lost his smile as he replied, "Is Urahara-san in? If not him, then maybe Tsukabishi-san?"

Before the kids could answer, the sliding door of the shop opened, and a rather tall man with black hair, a moustache, and glasses stepped out. "Did someone call my name?" he asked before spotting the whisker-faced redhead. "…Naruto?" he asked in slight surprise.

Grinning, the young man raised his arm once more. "Yo, Tessai! How's it- ACK!" he greeted before he was engulfed in a, literal, bone-crushing embrace by the now emotional man.

"Oh, it's been ages since you last came by!" he exclaimed dramatically, throwing the kids for a loop as the whiskered redhead's back popped in several places. "Two years is far too long of a time between visits!"

"Yeah well," groaned out Naruto, ignoring the snickering that echoed in the back of his mind, "I was…busy with school…and stuff!"

To his relief, he was set down as the man rushed back inside, calling for Urahara. He took the time waiting to fix his ruffled clothes as his partner spoke up. _"Still a strange one for a man of his caliber."_

 _'Everyone has their own quirks once they reach a certain level of power, Kara-chan. He's emotional, Neko-nee is teasing, and you're bloodthirsty.'_

 _"For the record, I was_ always _bloodthirsty."_

He smiled in amusement as a familiar sandy blonde walked out of the shop. "Well, look who decided to come back to town! Been a while since we had you drop by, Kurosaki-kun."

Naruto chuckled sheepishly. "Yeah, it has, sensei. It's good to see you and Tessai again, though." He looked over the man's shoulder curiously, but didn't get the chance to ask anything as the shopkeeper spoke up.

"She's not here at the moment; but she should be back within a week or so."

Raising a brow, the redheaded Kurosaki asked, "Personal concerns or your own curiosity?"

Urahara smiled and hid his face behind his fan. "Oh, a little bit of both," he answered vaguely. "Don't worry so much; she'll be fine."

"It's not Neko-nee that I worry about," shot back Naruto as the subject was dropped. "How's _business_?" he asked, discretely looking at the kids.

"Relax, they know all about our _friends from the other side_. It's why I offered them a place to stay. As for our _friends_ , they're still quite common here, unfortunately. We occasionally get pest control, but that only stops the _visits_ for however long they're in town."

"Damn," sighed out the redhead.

Tessai spoke up next. "On the bright side, they don't seem to be any more than the garden variety Hollows. Nothing too concerning."

"Garden variety or not, with my family being so spiritually aware, they're in danger of being targeted." Sighing again, he brushed a hand through his hair tiredly. "Looks like I'll be reconducting some business transactions with you, sensei."

Urahara flourished his fan over his face once more and laughed jovially. "Excellent! I was hoping to get some revenue soon!"

Naruto rolled his eyes, but couldn't stop himself from giving a small smile at his sensei's antics. "I just hope I haven't gotten too rusty over the past couple of years…"

There was a brief pause between the three men before they all laughed together, confusing Jinta and Ururu. The brunette turned to Jinta and asked, "Are all grownups odd?"

"Only the weird ones," he answered as he resumed sweeping, prompting Ururu to go back to her own chores.

* * *

The cool evening breeze felt great against his skin, brushing through his hair while his eyes were closed. A smile was on his face as he basked in the feeling, allowing a sense of nostalgia to overtake him as he embraced his natural element.

 _"And here I thought you were trying not to think of your old life,"_ commented Karasuba. _"Yet here you are, letting your guard down and thinking about the past."_

 _'I can't help it when the breeze is just right. It's the ambiance taking over, y'know.'_

 _"Ambiance, eh?"_ she asked back, her tone teasing. _"Look at you using fancy vocabulary. Looks like college did you some good after all."_

He rolled his eyes at her teasing, but he couldn't help the smile that was etched on his face. The mood, however, was ruined when he felt something dark nearby followed by the sound of an echoing screech. "Dammit," he sighed out, leaping off of the telephone pole he stood on and moving across the rooftops.

 _"Ooh! Some action after two years?"_

 _'I doubt it'd be enough to sate you, Kara-chan,'_ he deadpanned, somehow knowing that it would make her pout.

 _"…dammit all…"_

Chuckling, he stopped on top of a late night café's roof, staring at the serpentine Hollow that was moving through the street, pushing some of the idle cars as it travelled and surprising many of the drivers at the sudden shifts their vehicles suffered. It was dark blue in color with a white mask that held bright red markings underneath the nostril slits. What made it unique in its own right was how its tail was split near the end, giving it three separate tips while the center one was sharpened like a pike.

Naruto shook his head at the sight as he held out his left hand, where a black feather floated out of before it flashed orange and became an ōdachi styled sword. The sheath was pitch black, the guard was circular, and the wrappings on the handle were a silvery gray. Attached to the end of the pommel was a small orange tassel that was half a foot long.

With his right hand, he pulled out the blade, which gave off a stunning silver sheen, while tossing away his sheath which dispersed in a small burst of black feathers. Wind picked up around him, distorting his image before his previous attire – an orange sweater, blue jeans, and black sneakers – had changed.

From his feet upwards, he wore waraji (straw sandals), white tabi socks, black hakama pants, an orange obi sash, a black kosode (robe), and an orange shitagi (undershirt). On his arms were light gray gloves that stretched to his elbows and left his fingers exposed. On the back of each glove was the same crow insignia that Karasuba had on her haori. (1)

He rolled his neck around two times, getting the kinks out of it as he got used to being "in uniform" for the first time in a long while. "Back in black, eh?" he joked aloud before he vanished in a blur, reappearing right in the middle of a four-way intersection that the Hollow was nearing. His right hand held the handle of his sword, resting the back of the blade against his shoulder as he smirked at the snake. "I'm sorry, but," he pointed his left hand upward, gesturing to the red light in front of the Hollow, "you don't have the right of way just yet."

The Hollow roared at him before it lunged, intending to take a rather large chomp into his body. His smirk remained as he vanished again, appearing on the pole that the traffic light was attached to. His smirk widened into a grin as he crouched and kicked off the pole, shooting upward by about twenty feet before he turned his body so his head was pointed downward. Kicking off the air as if it were solid, he shot down at the Hollow with the tip of his sword spearheading his dive.

"BANZAI!" he cried out in excitement, piercing the Hollow through the top of its head and through its throat, landing with a roll before he jumped away and resettled his sword on his shoulder. His grin was gone in place of a serious visage as he watched the Hollow writhe in pain before giving one last screech and fading away. His eyes closed and he bowed his head slightly as he whispered, "I hope you find peace…"

He kept his head bowed for a few moments longer before he leapt off, deciding to do a perimeter sweep of Karakura Town. Unknown to him, a rather petite woman wearing a uniform more formal than his witnessed the event from when he first appeared at the intersection. She had short black hair with a long bang that rested between her violet eyes, slightly paled skin, and a sword strapped to her white obi sash.

Frowning, she leapt off of her telephone pole perch and began to follow him, all the while thinking, _'Who was that Soul Reaper?'_

* * *

 **1~ If someone is willing to draw this Naruto (remember he has red hair and brown eyes), I would GREATLY appreciate it and repay you in some manner!**

 **And there we go! That's the first chapter of this story done!**

 **Now, in case you aren't aware of who Karasuba is, she's from the** _ **Sekirei**_ **series and is #4; also known as the "Black Sekirei". I liked her character and thought,** _ **"Hey, why not make her into a Zanpakuto for Naruto?"**_

 **And so…I did! *grins***

 **Just pointing out now, she's the only character from** _ **Sekirei**_ **that I'm bringing into this story. As for** _ **Naruto**_ **characters – besides the series' namesake of course – I'm only going to add 1-3 more characters; and one of them was hinted in this opening chapter!**

 **To clarify, Naruto is the eldest Kurosaki child; him being twenty years of age. Then we have Ichigo at fifteen years, Karin at eleven, and Yuzu at eleven as well (being younger than Karin by a few minutes). Naruto Kurosaki is the reincarnation of Uzumaki; and he's AWARE of it.**

 **Now…the pairing. As promised, this is going to be a story where Naruto and Orihime end up together romantically. BUT, this will also be a small – I repeat, SMALL – harem with three women MAX. The second woman in the pairing is…Kara-chan. I like the idea of Naruto and Karasuba expanding their relationship as partners BEYOND the scope of that partnership.**

 **As for the final girl…I have put up a poll on my profile for you all to help me decide! Five women are on it, only one can be the winner! Each voter will be allowed to pick up to two choices!**

 **I look forward to seeing who the winner will be! Please don't forget to review! And also, don't forget to vote on my poll!**

 **One last thing: Merry Christmas to everyone here on this wonderful website! I hope that you all have a safe and wonderful holiday and I'll see you all next year!**

 **Until 2017!**

 _ **~pain17ification~**_


	2. Chapter 2: Death is only the First Step

**Hey guys and gals!**

 **So, in case you didn't keep up with the poll, Kukaku Shiba ended up being the big winner. However, quite a few people pointed out that it made more sense to leave it as her being related to the Kurosaki family (since Isshin was originally from the Shiba Clan).**

 **This means that we have no real winner. In all fairness, I'm shocked that Kukaku was so popularly voted for. The other choices in the top spot were (unsurprisingly) Neliel and Rangiku.**

 **But, those two are pretty overused. Don't get me wrong; they're easily in my top five for female** _ **Bleach**_ **characters. The thing is, I want to incorporate someone who is rare; someone who doesn't get enough _love_ from the fans of _Bleach_!**

 **As such, I've decided to go with…a secret choice! _*grins evilly*_**

 **Disclaimer:** _ **pain17ification**_ **owns nothing**

* * *

 _Maelstrom_

 _Chapter 2: Death is only the First Step_

* * *

 _"You do know we're being tailed, right?"_ Karasuba asked after being silent for a while. _"Another Soul Reaper by the feel of it; though definitely weak compared to us."_

He rolled his eyes at the last comment. _'Sensei said that Soul Reapers from the Seireitei usually come with seals that restrict a great deal of their spiritual energy. We don't know how strong they really are, Kara-chan.'_

 _"Bah! Even at full strength, they're no match for us! I'm death itself with a reincarnated hero as my partner!"_ she boasted, making him sweatdrop.

"Right…" he awkwardly noted, speaking aloud and cutting off the connection as she continued to rant. As much as he enjoyed having Karasuba as a partner and ally, she tended to be quite arrogant at times…and she liked to brag a _lot_.

He didn't react when he felt another Hollow enter the city, close to the cemetery. He made a face at this, never particularly enjoying being around such a reminder of death. Ironic as it may have been – considering he dealt with death fairly often – seeing so many graves always rubbed him the wrong way.

Stopping on top of a random office building, he cast a look over his shoulder and estimated the distance between him and his tail. "Hmm… They should be able to handle it," he mused, dropping down several stories to the streets below. Mid-drop, he was surrounded by wind before he was once again in his casual clothes, landing soundlessly on the sidewalk without anyone witnessing his unnatural feat.

He smirked as he looked up, noting a black clothed individual leaping onto the building he was recently standing on. Without his "uniform", his spiritual energy was masked pretty well; enough to make him appear to be an "aware human" at best.

He felt the Soul Reaper stick around for a moment longer before they headed off for the cemetery; much to his relief. Satisfied, he took the long way home, not bothering with a bus since he enjoyed walking through his hometown.

Along the way, he slowed his pace when he recognized the area he was in, and how close it was to some old friends of his. With a smile, he changed his destination and headed for a warehouse that had been "abandoned" for years. His smile was still in place as he saw the familiar barrier that the warehouse had; only being able to see it due to his time with the people inside.

He walked up to the barrier and raised his hand, gently rapping his knuckles against it. Each tap made a ripple against it, and no doubt informed those inside that they had a "guest". Satisfied, he took a step back and waited for one of them to greet him.

It didn't take long, and he was greeted to a familiar face that had green hair and hazel eyes. She took one look at him before clapping her hands together with an overjoyed smile. "Naru? Is it really?!"

He chuckled and offered a wave. "Long time, Mashiro-chan."

With her smile growing into a grin, she moved over to him in a flash, grabbed his arm and nearly dragged him inside. The whole time she was babbling excitedly about how great it was to see him again; speaking too fast to catch anything. It wasn't an issue to him, though. He was happy to see her too.

Once inside, he saw the other seven members of the group he had called friends for years. They all looked surprised at his presence while Mashiro was just standing next to him with a bright expression. He gave them all a casual wave and greeted, "Yo."

The first to break out of their surprise was the shortest of the group, and she instantly had a sharp grin on her face before she attempted to leap at him. However, she was held back by the final female of the group, who was giving the short blonde an annoyed look behind her red-framed glasses.

The others recomposed themselves and moved over to the Kurosaki, and the warehouse home they lived in had an air of content about it. "Been a long time, Whiskers," Shinji greeted, shaking hands with his friend. "Where've you been?"

"College," he answered, bumping fists with Love as he did so. He then shook hands with both Hachigen (Hachi) and Rōjūrō (Rose). "Still living the life, guys?"

"Things have been pretty stale since you left," Rose answered, happy to have the redhead back in town.

"Indeed," Hachi added, giving him a pleasant smile. "You left without much warning, after all."

Naruto chuckled sheepishly at that, rubbing the back of his head; a habit he had whenever he was guilty or nervous. "Yeah… Sorry about that. I didn't have much time for goodbyes since I was in a rush, y'know."

Love and Rose chuckled at his nervous tic while Hachi nodded in understanding. "And how did your studies go?"

"They went great! I'm officially an educated man in the eyes of society," boasted the Kurosaki. "Now, I just need to get my work finished and I could hopefully start getting some income for my family."

Kensei bumped his own fist with Naruto in greeting. "And your training? Have you been keeping up on it?"

"Eh… Not really," he honestly answered. "I was more focused on getting my classes finished. I only left so that I could better support my family, after all."

The man nodded in understanding before crossing his arms with a smirk. "Looks like we'll be having some sparring sessions again in the future."

Smirking back, Naruto replied, "Can't wait." He was caught off guard when a sandal flew from the back and smacked him in the face, leaving a comical red imprint on his skin. "…Ow," he said blandly, brow faintly twitching.

"The hell, Whiskers?!" Hiyori yelled out, almost snarling at him as she walked up and poked him in the chest. "That was barely tossed at you and you just took it like a chump!"

He rubbed his new mark with a sigh. "I just told Kensei that I wasn't really training over the past couple of years. Besides, how was I supposed to know you'd throw your sandal at me?!"

She scoffed at his argument before crying out in surprise when Lisa smacked her upside the head. The two glared at one another before the blonde huffed and looked away. "Yeah, whatever…" she grumbled before muttering out, "I missed you."

He blinked at that before giving her a smile. "I missed you all too." He then greeted the last member with a hug, enjoying the contact with her. "Good to see you again, Lisa-chan."

"You too, Naruto," she replied, pulling away from him. "Any luck on that _idea_ of yours?"

He saw the glint in her eye and sighed comically. "…I swear you're the biggest female pervert I've met," he commented, to which she shrugged shamelessly.

"At least I'm honest about it."

The redhead gave her a deadpan expression. "I wish you weren't so upfront about it, sometimes…"

She rolled her eyes in amusement. "So…?"

"Not much luck, ero-senpai," he answered with a dry look. "I'd rather not make _that_ my first book, anyway."

Love chuckled and retorted, "Bet it would've been a bestseller in under a week."

"Think of the money you could've been making with it," Rose added, showing his own amusement.

"Don't encourage this!" cried the Kurosaki dramatically, making the others laugh at his plight. It wasn't long before he joined in, missing the dynamic he had with them all.

He ended up staying with the Vizards for the night, being sure to call his family to let them know he wouldn't be home that night. However, that choice had a consequence he wasn't prepared for.

* * *

The next day, Naruto didn't immediately return home and instead visited his sensei's shop once again. He greeted the man with a smile, but it dropped when he saw the serious look on his face, as well as Tessai's.

"What happened?" he asked, concern in his voice.

Kisuke sighed and motioned for him to sit down. "I'll get right to the point," he began, steepling his hands in front of his shadowed face. "Your house was attacked by a Hollow last night."

He was on his feet in an instant. "WHAT?!"

Tessai reached over and pressed down on his shoulder, making him sit back down. Once he was seated again, Kisuke continued, "The Hollow was after your brother, most likely because of his higher than average spiritual power."

"What about that Soul Reaper that was in town last night? Were they just sitting on their ass while this happened?!"

"About that…" the shopkeeper began before motioning for someone to enter the room. The person who complied was a petite woman with black hair and violet eyes. She was dressed in a simple white robe; typical clothing for a soul with low spiritual power. "Naruto, meet Rukia Kuchiki; the Soul Reaper assigned to Karakura Town."

His eyes went wide and he looked to the woman in shock before, in a blur, he had her slammed into the wall with his hand gripping her robe tightly. "What. Happened. To. My. Family?" he ground out.

She instinctively struggled against his grip, but the look in his eyes made her freeze. She had seen eyes like his only a few times; the eyes of someone who would willingly kill for the ones he loved. "It wasn't my intention to get your family involved; I swear!"

"WHAT HAPPENED?!" he roared, spiking his spiritual power for a moment, which made her shiver at the density of it.

And so, she began telling him everything.

* * *

After telling him what had happened the previous evening, she was seated in a seiza position beside Kisuke and Tessai while Naruto paced in agitation. She couldn't blame him; knowing it was her fault for his anger. She had gotten humans involved in the spiritual world's affairs, and because of her blunder, she had to transfer her power to a human.

"This isn't good," the redheaded Kurosaki finally noted aloud. "Ichigo wasn't supposed to awaken his powers for another couple of years."

This caught her interest, but she remained silent. The man pacing had all rights to kill her, and she saw he was willing to do so.

"What do we do, sensei?" he asked, stopping his pacing to look at the sandy blonde.

The man had his fan hiding the lower half of his face as he thought over their options. "The best thing to do would be for you to come clean."

"Absolutely not!" denied Naruto. "He's not ready to become a Soul Reaper! He needs to be eased into it; not tossed in the deep end!"

"As I recall, you were of the latter option and you turned out okay," retorted Urahara.

"Because I had no one to prepare me for it and was forced into a _do-or-die_ situation!" argued Naruto. "It was dumb luck that led me to you; and even then, I was worse than a newbie!"

"True; however, you've got experience under your belt now. You could help guide your brother and train him like I did for you." He smiled at his student. "I've taught you enough. Now, it's your turn to teach what you know."

"But…" Naruto tried to argue, but he couldn't. He was worried for his family and knew that Ichigo would have trouble accepting this; especially the weight of being a Soul Reaper and protecting people he didn't even know.

"Naruto," Tessai spoke up, getting his attention. "You have every right to be hesitant; but your brother needs you. His newly gifted abilities will make him an even bigger target for Hollows. It's your job to prepare him; like you've been planning to for years."

He clenched his fists in frustration, hating the fact that his plans on helping ease Ichigo into his powers went down the drain. Now, he was forced to help him in the thick of it all. But, he knew that both men were right. As the elder brother, it was his responsibility to make sure that his family was safe and that his younger siblings could look after themselves in case he wasn't there.

Sighing, he sat down in defeat and nodded. "…Dammit."

Rukia cringed at the depressing air the redhead gave off. Guilt tore at her, and she decided to start making up for her mistake. "I'm more than willing to help you train your brother, Kurosaki-san."

He looked up and gave her a straight expression, eyes narrowed faintly. "I was going to have you do so, anyway. You owe it to _him_ at the very least."

She cringed again, but nodded firmly. "Yes, I understand. It's one of the reasons why I came here to Urahara-san. I was hoping he could help me get enrolled into your brother's school so that I could keep an eye on him."

He nodded. "That's a good idea. With you nearby, you could make sure that he doesn't go rushing into things. He's hardheaded like our father; and like me," he admitted with a faint smirk. "I'll be helping him condition his body in spirit form and get him used to fighting Hollows. You help drill in the more sensitive duties being a Soul Reaper entails."

"Sounds like you've got a good startup plan," Kisuke noted with a smirk of his own. "If you run into trouble, or if you need somewhere to train him, you know where to find me."

Naruto gave him a small bow in thanks. "I'll be sure to remember that, sensei. Thanks." He then stood up and took a breath before turning his gaze to Rukia. "I'm expecting you to help me keep my family safe for the time being. This is my one chance I'm offering for you to make up for this. Don't waste it."

She felt a chill go down her spine when she saw a shadowy visage behind him take the shape of a woman that gave her a predatory grin. Under her gaze, the young Kuchiki felt like her very being would be wiped out in an instant.

"I-I understand," she replied with a slight stutter. "I'll do my best; I promise."

He gave a short hum in acceptance before turning and leaving the shop, heading straight for home to check on his family.

* * *

"The insurance will help cover for this, right?" Naruto asked his father in concern. The house had a large hole in it and there was some structural damage that would need to be tended to immediately.

The patriarch of the family turned to his eldest child and smiled warmly. "Yes, they'll help us take care of this."

"…Dad, I-" he started to say, but Isshin stopped him with a raised hand.

"Don't. I know what you're going to say, and I'm telling you that this isn't your fault. Whoever was driving that truck was to blame." Naruto internally thanked and cursed the memory altercation used on his family. "I'm just glad that no one was hurt."

Naruto fought back a flinch at that, knowing that Ichigo was worse than _hurt_ from the previous night's events. "Yeah… Me too…"

Isshin saw the downtrodden look his son had and sighed internally. He knew what his eldest had been doing before he went off to college; and he knew where he learned everything he had about it. He wanted to come clean to the young man for years, but he couldn't find the courage to. He felt like a coward for hiding it from him; especially when Naruto first awakened his own powers.

He should've been there for him from the start; but he wasn't. And now, his eldest son would have to help look after his younger brother while he – their father – would remain quiet and do nothing; like the coward he knew he was.

He sighed again; externally this time. _'Soon… I'll tell him soon, Masaki,'_ he mentally promised his late wife as he and the eldest – and strongest both spiritually and emotionally – of his children started to gather what belongings were intact amongst the wreckage.

* * *

Later that evening, the Kurosaki family found themselves in a small rental home while theirs was being repaired. It was being paid for by their insurance company; so, it was one less thing to worry about. Dinner had already been shared and they were all inside their rooms for the night. Isshin had his own while the siblings had shared rooms (one for the boys and the other for the girls).

Laid atop his bed, Ichigo was lost in thought as he remembered what he had originally thought was a dream about the night before. It wasn't until the new transfer student at the school – Rukia Kuchiki – revealed her true origin to him during lunch period that he realized that it _wasn't_ a dream.

He wanted to tell his brother about it – being able to trust him with practically anything – but he didn't know how to approach the subject. Fortunately for him, he didn't have to start it off.

"Ichigo," Naruto spoke up, seated on his own bed with his back to him. "I need to talk to you about something very important; something that you've been dragged into before I could prepare you for it."

The orange haired brother's eyes widened in surprise. "W-What're you-?"

"Ichigo," cut off the redheaded brother, turning around to look him in the eye. "I need you to just listen to me for now. It's time I explained things to you that I had honestly hoped to hold off for a couple more years."

And so, Naruto told him what he could. He told Ichigo about his own powers awakening within him around his seventeenth birthday, about his own fears and anxieties at trying to train and master them, about meeting Urahara and studying under him, and about how he helped watch over their hometown for over a year before he left for college.

He told him almost everything, leaving out his Zanpakuto, his _other_ tenant, and the Vizards. He wanted Ichigo to have time to digest the other information first before bringing up those subjects.

"…"

"…"

Silence reigned over the room. Ichigo was still trying to process everything his brother had told him; only now realizing how difficult it had to have been for Naruto to keep it a secret from his family so that they wouldn't worry about him fighting monstrous souls and risking his life. He already had a great deal of respect and pride for his brother; but hearing about all of this only increased that respect.

"So…now you know the truth," stated the redhead. "What you must understand, Ichigo, is that I wanted to help ease you into this; to help you prepare for your own natural powers to awaken."

"But, what made you think I had my own power?" Ichigo couldn't help but ask.

"I felt it growing within your soul just before I left for college. It was small at the time, but I knew that it would only grow as you got older; just like my own power did. I'm also preparing myself to help out Karin and Yuzu; just in case they show any signs of developing powers of their own."

"You've been preparing to help us for years, haven't you?" Ichigo asked, impressed with the foresight his brother had.

"Yes. When it comes to my family, I'll do everything that I can to keep them safe and to prepare them for the struggles ahead; and trust me, Ichigo, there _will_ be struggles for you to overcome. The life of a Soul Reaper is not an easy one; especially considering that it usually comes with death." He took a breath to calm his nerves before continuing, "But, death is only the first step. The next is overcoming it so that you can be ready for what's to come."

Ichigo searched for something to say, but he fell short. It was a lot to take in, after all.

"But don't worry," he felt Naruto place a hand on his shoulder and looked up, seeing his older brother giving him a confident grin, "I'll be with you every step of the way; I promise. And you know how I am about my promises."

Ichigo chuckled at that, knowing how Naruto would always keep a promise made; come hell or high water. "I know… Thanks for telling me about this, and for everything else over the years, Naruto-nii."

Naruto softened his grin to a warm smile and raised his hand to ruffle his brother's hair; something he did many times as they grew up. "Don't sweat it, otouto. It's my job to look after you and the girls; and I'll do it for as long as I can." He turned towards the window, and Ichigo saw his eyes gain a far-off expression. "I promised mom I would when we buried her."

Ichigo was shocked at the sheer determination his brother's voice held. He didn't have his brother's strength back then; and he highly doubted that he had that level of strength now. To him, Naruto was a pillar; one that held up their family for years and helped push them through the hard times.

He was their rock, their shield, and – unknown to them all – their sword. Without him…

He shuddered to think of what would happen without his brother; and he hoped he'd never have to find out.

* * *

 **And there you have it! The second chapter!**

 **I'm just gonna warn you all now, the chapter for this story will not be all that long. This is mainly because I'm trying to find time to refamiliarize myself with** _ **Bleach**_ **so that I can make this story as good as I can.**

 **I hope that this doesn't upset you and that you guys understand where I'm coming from on this.**

 **Now, the next chapter will have Naruto** _ **finally**_ **see Orihime again after two years. What will happen when the compassionate young woman sees her crush again after so long? What will deepen the bond between Naruto and Karasuba? And just** _ **who**_ **will be the third woman in his life?**

 _ ***dramatic music and facial expression*** **Why**_ **am I asking** _ **you**_ **all these questions?!**

 **Until next time!**

 _ **~pain17ification~**_


	3. Chapter 3: Reunions, Training, & Talks

**Chapter three is a go!**

 **Sorry for the wait, and I hope you all like the chapter!**

 **Disclaimer:** _ **pain17ification**_ **owns nothing**

* * *

 _Maelstrom_

 _Chapter 3: Reunions, Training, and Talks_

* * *

The following morning was refreshingly normal for the Kurosaki family. Isshin and Ichigo had their pre-breakfast scuffle, Yuzu admonished them and ordered them to eat, Karin pretended to ignore them and ate in silent amusement, and Naruto watched with _open_ amusement.

It was a needed counterbalance for recent events, and they were all grateful for the sense of familiarity.

After the morning meal, the younger three siblings all left for school while Naruto cleaned up the mess and Isshin prepared for work. Without the family clinic, he needed to work at the city's hospital to bring home some income.

"Hey, dad?" Isshin heard his eldest say, making the man turn to him.

"Yeah, son?"

To his surprise, Naruto looked unsure of himself, or dare he say nervous. "Can we talk later; privately?"

"Is everything alright?" he asked with unhidden concern.

"…I don't know," Naruto answered honestly. "But it can wait until later."

Isshin had a feeling what it was about, and he was having mixed feelings on the upcoming talk. But, he knew it was unfair to his family to keep putting off the subject.

So, he nodded once and placed his hand on Naruto's shoulder. "Of course. I have things I need to tell you as well; things I should've told you some time ago."

This confused Naruto, but he didn't expand on it as he let his father leave for work. Now home alone, he spent the next hour tidying up before heading out to his old high school. Some old friends of his would no doubt be happy to see him.

* * *

Misato Ochi was generally a likeable teacher who was rather easygoing with her students and believed in their potentials to succeed. So, it was both a surprise and a delight to see one of her old students walking around the school halls during the lunch hour.

"Naruto Kurosaki, is that you?" she asked with a smile that he returned. "Look at you! You've definitely grown from the prankster you were years ago."

Chuckling and giving her a warm hug, the redhead replied, "It's good to see you, sensei. I missed your classes when I left town."

She pulled away to get a better look at him. "It's been too long, Naruto. What brings you here?"

"Seeing some old friends and my favorite teacher," he answered, making her give an amused eye roll. "How's my brother been?"

"He's as well as he could be," she answered, sounding slightly vague. "He's getting by, though."

Sighing, Naruto nodded in understanding. "Yeah… He took mom's death the hardest, after all."

Misato placed her hand on his arm with a supportive smile. "I'm sure he appreciates all that you're doing, Naruto." Removing her arm, she jabbed her thumb behind her and added, "He's up on the roof with his friends if you wanted to talk to him."

"Thanks. You mind letting them off if they're late? Might lose track of time saying 'hi' to everyone."

She chuckled and nodded. "For my favorite student? No problem."

Thanking her, he headed for the roof and arrived to the sight of his brother, his friends, and Rukia all seated together enjoying their lunch. It was Rukia who noticed him first, being able to sense his spiritual energy.

However, it was an orange haired girl with large brown eyes that noticed him next. Those eyes widened in surprise as her jaw slowly lowered and her cheeks flushed. Next to her, a girl with dark hair looked to her in confusion before turning her focus to where the orange haired girl was looking.

Seeing them both staring at him, Naruto offered a wave and called out, "Yo!"

His greeting caught the attention of the others, and Ichigo asked, "What're you doing here?"

"Greeting old friends," Naruto answered, moving away from the door and walking towards them. "Been awhile since I've seen you guys and gals."

"Naruto," greeted Yasutora "Chad" Sado, a very large teen with Mexican descent visible in his physical features. He was known as a gentle giant by many people, only using his phenomenal physical strength in the defense of others. "Good to see you."

"You too, Chad." The whiskered man turned to the dark-haired girl, Tatsuki Arisawa, next and nodded his head with a grin. "Still showing them who's boss at the dojo, Tatsuki?"

"Everyone but you, senpai," she replied with a smirk. "Still waiting for the day to take you down."

"Maybe later this week," he replied with a chuckle before turning his attention to the last person. "Hey Hime," he greeted with a warm smile.

Orihime Inoue smiled back as the corners of her eyes threatened to form tears. She quickly got to her feet and ran over to hug her childhood friend, letting her joyful tears run as she felt the warmth she had missed over the years.

"Welcome home," she murmured into his shirt, making Naruto smile as he returned her hug.

"Glad to be home."

Tatsuki had a small smile on her face as she watched her best friend. She had known of Orihime's crush on Naruto for many years now; a crush that almost changed to Ichigo before it cemented itself towards the redheaded Kurosaki brother.

She could remember the day she asked Orihime about it.

* * *

 _Standing at a bus stop was the Kurosaki family and Ichigo's friends. Naruto had his duffel bag, laptop case, and schoolbag resting on the ground as he hugged his sisters goodbye._

 _It was the day he was set to leave town for college, and they were there to see him off. Tatsuki was surprised when she found out that her friend and senpai was actually leaving Karakura Town for school, and it saddened her as well since she would lose her favorite sparring partner and life coach; something she wouldn't admit aloud._

 _Turning to her friend, she was surprised to see how upset she was. In Tatsuki's opinion, it looked like Orihime was barely restraining herself from stopping Naruto from leaving. She knew of Hime's crush on the whisker-faced Kurosaki, but she thought that the girl had moved on by now when he showed no signs of seeing that crush._

 _"Hey," she spoke softly so as not to let anyone hear them. "You gonna be okay?"_

 _Orihime wiped her eye to stop a rogue tear before turning to her best female friend. "I'm going to miss him," she answered._

 _"We all will, Hime. But he'll be back before we know it. Senpai wasn't ever one to leave his family, you know."_

 _"I know that. But what if…?"_

 _She stopped herself short, turning back to see Naruto shaking hands with Chad before casually dodging a flying tackle from Keigo and laughing at his meeting with the sidewalk. Mizuiro looked exasperated before he too shook Naruto's hand in farewell._

 _"What if he meets someone?" she whispered so faintly that Tatsuki almost didn't hear her. "I… I still haven't told him…"_

 _"I thought you said you weren't sure anymore?" Tatsuki asked._

 _"I did… But then we ran into each other at the cemetery, and he saw me talking to Sora-nii-san." That caught Tatsuki's interest. "I didn't know he was there until I heard him talk to nii-san too."_

 _"What'd he say?" Tatsuki asked, seeing Orihime smile softly and blush._

 _"He…promised my nii-san that he would be there for me and help me whenever I needed him. He told Sora not to worry about me anymore and that he could be at peace."_

 _"Really?" Tatsuki turned to her senpai, watching him crouching down to pet a black cat that was seen with him at random times; one that he called Kuro-chan. "And what he said brought those feelings back, didn't it?"_

 _Orihime gave an affirmative hum as she nodded. "Yes, it did. I wanted to tell him how I felt then, but I didn't think it was appropriate to say in front of so many graves. I tried to tell him other times, but things always got in the way."_

 _Tatsuki sweatdropped as she recalled one rare moment of her friend giving her an annoyed look, realizing that_ she _had gotten in the way one time._

 _"I wish I could tell him…"_

 _"Tell who what?" they heard Naruto ask, making them jump in surprise since they didn't know he had approached them._

 _Tatsuki was quick to answer, "She was talking about her brother and something she never got to say before he died." The martial arts enthusiast would never know how right she was with that_ excuse _. She then fist-bumped him and added, "Gonna miss you, senpai. I still need to prove I've gotten stronger than you."_

 _"Strength isn't everything," he lectured with a small grin. "You know that."_

 _"Yeah, yeah…" she waved off, pretending to be annoyed at the lecture but smiling all the same._

 _He shook his head in amusement before turning to Orihime and opening his arms out. The girl didn't hesitate to embrace him, and Tatsuki heard her say how much she'd miss him while watching as her hands clenched the back of his clothes; as if they'd anchor him down and make him stay._

* * *

It was then that Tatsuki realized that the crush her friend had on Naruto had turned into something much more than that. Watching him interact with the others and brighten up the atmosphere, she saw that Orihime was looking at him with a stronger expression.

Orihime was in love with Naruto.

* * *

After catching up with his old friends, Naruto left the school after telling Rukia to take Ichigo to the Urahara Shop after the school day had ended. Strolling through town, he headed for the publishing office in hopes of getting his first book looked at. With any luck, it'd be well-received and published soon.

The story could be called an autobiography of his past life; the life of Naruto Uzumaki. He was dividing it into three separate books.

The first would be from when Uzumaki was in his final years of the Ninja Academy to when he left with Jiraiya the Toad Sage for three years.

The second book would be from Uzumaki's homecoming to after his defeat of Pein, the God of the Hidden Rain Village.

And the last would be from that point to the end of the war, with an epilogue portraying Uzumaki and his new family with Hinata Hyuuga.

He spent many years speaking with a certain someone about the life of Uzumaki, and in those years, he made sure that the book's illustrations would be as perfect as they could get. After all, he had the greatest source to go by in terms of referencing the life of his transmigrant predecessor.

 _"I still say that you're Uzumaki, Naruto,"_ Karasuba spoke up.

 _'And I've told you multiple times that I'm not him. I'm Naruto_ Kurosaki _.'_

 _ **"** **That didn't change the fact that you inherited so much from my old friend,"**_ a deep, whispery voice cut in, adding their two cents to the conversation. _**"Naruto Uzumaki was a strong-willed human who put the happiness of his friends and the world above his own; much like you do for your family, Kurosaki."**_

 _'Kurama… I don't like being seen as someone or something other than who I am. I'm the son of Isshin and Masaki Kurosaki. The life of Naruto Uzumaki was a_ long _time ago.'_

 _ **"** **And yet, Uzumaki was a transmigrant of Asura Ōtsutsuki; remember?"**_ the reborn beast argued.

 _"The fleabag,"_ she ignored the growl, _"has a point. Who's to say that you can't be a transmigrant too?"_

Sighing aloud, Naruto responded, _'Look, I get that you have a great deal of respect for Uzumaki, Kurama. And I understand the arguments you've made over the years. But still…is it too much to ask to control my own life?'_

 _ **"** **Who said you weren't in control, brat?"**_ Kurama fired back with a knowing undertone. _**"All I've been saying is that you had a phenomenal past life. I never said anything about it controlling who you are or would be."**_

 _"I did; but that's only because I want you to stop lying to yourself, Naruto. Just accept that you were once_ Naruto Uzumaki _and do what you will."_

 _'…Alright.'_

With their chat done, Naruto found himself in front of the publishing building and took a breath to compose himself. He needed to be focused so that he could try and provide for his family.

"Maximum effort," he said with a chuckle as he stepped through the door, referencing a character from a comic series he enjoyed. (1)

* * *

With little effort, Naruto raised his sword to block Ichigo's, both in their Soul Reaper clothes as they started Ichigo's training. "Clumsy!" he shouted, flicking his wrist and sending the over-sized blade out of his younger brother's hands. "You need to have a better grip on your weapon, or you're done for!"

Ichigo cried out in surprise as he was booted away from Naruto by a heavy kick to his chest. Sliding on the ground, he stopped right beside his weapon and quickly got up to reequip it. "Kinda hard to do when I never used a sword before!" he yelled back before grunting with effort as he used both hands to hold his weapon while Naruto only needed one.

"True, but you were still able to take down that Hollow no problem." Easing up and backing away, Naruto gave a sigh and rubbed his head. "Look, I'm not exactly the teaching type. I don't like to tell you how to do something when I could just show you. So, to get things started, I'm going to have you copy my stances so we could give you a basic form to go off of."

Nodding, Ichigo readied his Zanpakuto and stood across from his brother. "Alright then."

"Spread your feet more. No, not that far; or you'll lose balance," Naruto instructed, watching Ichigo settle himself. "How's that feel?"

"A little weird, but I'll get used to it."

"It's important to have a style that you're comfortable with, little brother. Get into an open stance that feels balanced and that you can easily shift from." He waited for Ichigo to do so before he nodded. "Okay, we'll start with some basic katas so that you can get a feel for how your weapon feels when you swing. Your sword is heavier than mine, obviously; so, it'll feel like you're moving slower than you should be. That's okay for now. Once we get you used to the weight of your sword, then we can work on building up your swing speed."

Ichigo nodded as the two Kurosaki brothers performed some basic katas together, with Naruto throwing out tips and pointers here and there as they practiced. Watching them was Rukia, who was there to let them know if any Hollows were entering the city. So far, only two had arrived in the past few hours, and both times were handled by Naruto blurring away at high speed before returning within a few minutes. Ichigo used those two times as breaks from the training.

"Looks like they're making progress," she heard Kisuke comment from behind her. "That's good. Ichigo would learn better from Naruto than myself."

"Why do you think that?" she asked him.

"Because Naruto understands Ichigo better than myself. And while it may look like Naruto is taking it easy on him, he's going to push him further than Ichigo has ever been. I'd do the same, but I wouldn't be as understanding about it as Naruto is." He adjusted his hat slightly as he finished, "I might accidentally break him."

Rukia winced at that, having seen some Soul Reapers be pushed too far and snap. She herself was pushed by her brother when he adopted her into the Kuchiki Clan, and it was straining and stressful to keep up with the physical and mental push he was giving her. More than once, she almost gave up because it was too much.

But then, she remembered what she was doing her training for, and it helped push her forward. Based on what Urahara was saying, Naruto would keep reminding Ichigo what he was fighting for and push him forward.

"How did Naruto get his powers?" she asked. "He's human, and yet…"

"He was born with them, and they awakened a few years ago," Kisuke answered. "That's all we could figure out."

That last part was a lie, but the owner of the _simple shop_ knew it wasn't his place to say. He just hoped that, when the truth was finally revealed, Naruto would take it well.

* * *

Dinner was a quiet affair for the Kurosaki family that night, for much had happened in the span of one day. It was a surprise to the twins when they saw that their father and Ichigo didn't even throw a punch at one another, but it was even more surprising when their normally happy eldest brother looked to be lost in thought and reserved.

It was somewhat awkward for them, but they said nothing about it; both silently hoping that things would be back to normal the following day.

After dinner and washing up, all but the two oldest members of the family went to bed. The two adults stayed in the living room so that they could have their talk.

"So, what's on your mind, son?" Isshin started things off with a smile. "Everything okay?"

"…Dad, what do you know of the dead?" Naruto asked, feeling too anxious to beat around the bush.

Isshin expected a question like that and sighed as he leaned back in his chair. "…More than you thought I did." Reaching over to the small stand beside him, he took a drink of his water and continued, "I know about what's been happening to you, and how it's happened to Ichigo too."

"You knew?" Naruto whispered in shock. "But, why didn't you ever say anything?"

"I wanted to, son; believe me, I did. But…I was afraid of how you and your siblings would react."

"React to what? Ichigo was able to see ghosts and I could talk to them since I was a kid; you and mom knew that. Karin can see them too, but she can't hear what they say and Yuzu just feels their presence. What were you so afraid of tell us?"

"…That I'm not just a foolish man who married a wonderful woman and had four kids. That I was aware of the spiritual world for decades. That I'm older than I really am." He looked up from the floor and locked eyes with his son, startling him with how exhausted he looked. "That I'm not a human, but a soul."

Naruto gasped at this. "…A soul?"

Isshin nodded once, closing his eyes as he sighed tiredly. "…I wanted to tell you the day you awakened your powers, but I was afraid of how you'd react. Plus, I couldn't do anything for you since I've been without my powers for a long time now."

" _Your_ powers? You mean you were a Soul Reaper as well?"

"I was more than that, but I'll tell you about my past later. For now, I want to know how you feel about this? You're older now, and you've had time to mature into a responsible man. What do you think of being born from a soul and a human; of being technically half-dead the day you Masaki gave birth to you?"

Naruto was at a loss for words, still trying to process everything his father had revealed to him. His entire life, he thought he and his family were average humans with special gifts; but instead, he and his siblings inherited their growing powers from their father, who kept the truth hidden from them for so long.

"…Why didn't you trust us with this?" he finally asked, his tone soft and his eyes shadowed by his bangs. "Did mom know, or did you lie to her too?"

"She knew, and I begged her not to tell you and the others. You were too young to understand, and she was killed before you were ready."

"That's a weak excuse, and you know it," he gritted out. "You kept so much hidden from us, left us in the dark about a world we were unprepared for… And when we realized just who was sharing our world, you still said nothing." His fists clenched on the armrests of his chair, popping his knuckles and turning them white. "Do you even know how terrified I was when I saw a Hollow for the first time, and how afraid I was to tell my family that I had strange powers to battle the dead?"

"I can only imagine," Isshin answered, his voice full of regret. "Naruto… I'm so sorry for not speaking up sooner, for not coming clean when you needed me the most, and for not preparing you for any of this. I was a coward, and my cowardice resulted in you having to become a stronger man than I ever could be. I don't expect you to forgive me for any of this, but I hope you can understand my fears."

Slowly, his trembling fists stopped and unclenched. He took a couple of deep breaths to rein in his growing anger as he stood up, followed hesitantly by his father. Isshin slowly moved over to him, leaving him open for a heavy punch to his gut that knocked the wind out of him.

"…I expect to hear _everything_ later," Naruto whispered, his voice breaking at the storm of emotions he was going through. "But for now…I forgive you."

Isshin groaned and rubbed his bruising stomach, giving his eldest son a strained smile. "I promise, Naruto. I won't keep anything hidden from you anymore."

Turning away, Naruto headed for his room before stopping in front of the hallway. "I won't tell the others about this. You need to tell them everything, old man." Turning his head back to look over his shoulder, he showed his father the tears he failed to hold back as he finished, "A family shouldn't have to keep secrets. You tell them yours, and I'll tell them mine."

With that said, he left the man alone with his thoughts. _'Masaki… I wish you were here now; more than ever…'_

* * *

 **1~ Deadpool reference *winks***

 **And that's that! I'd like to remind you all that the chapters for this story are going to be short. So please, don't be upset about their "lacking length".**

 **In related news, I've decided on the final girl for Naruto! She's the ONLY thing from the – what I've decided to call – "extended" part of** _ **Bleach**_ **that I'm adding in.** **And by "extended", I mean the story after Ichigo sacrificed his powers.**

 **Hint: She loves sweets and "cute" things!**

 **Before I go, I posted a poll on my profile! It has to do with what my next FanFiction idea will be!**

 **Please cast your votes and have a nice day/night/whatever time you're reading this!**

 **Until next time!**

 _ **~pain17ification~**_


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